Earlier this week, twenty handpicked local artists, each representing a different Denver restaurant or bar, gathered at the McNichols Building, where they'd been invited to participate in the touring "Red Bull Curates: The Canvas Cooler Project," a contest that could take two of them all the way to Art Basel Miami in December. The challenge? To transform a canvas-wrapped Red Bull cooler into a piece of art in a day's time.

Tonight from 8 to 11 p.m., the finished pieces will be displayed to the public at a free 21+ reception at McNichols, where a panel of judges will choose two artists to join a select group from across the nation to exhibit work at the SCOPE Miami showcase during Art Basel. Following are images of the artists at work.